Redshirt junior defensive lineman Caleb Banks is ready to put it all together in 4th season of college football and second with the Gators. In 2023, Banks found his first significant amount of playing time at the collegiate level, having totaled just 47 combined snaps in his two prior seasons with Louisville (2021-22). In 12 games played last year, Banks recorded 19 tackles (7 solo), 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack across 364 snaps, the most amongst interior defensive lineman on the Gators.
“Caleb was one of those players that we played last year that really had no experience,” head coach Billy Napier said on Banks. “I can still remember him in the exit meeting, Banks was like ‘coach man, we were out there in Utah, I’m shaking like a leaf. He had never played in a college game really’.”
“He got significant experience last year, think he played around 300 plus plays, was banged up a little bit at times in the second half of the season.”
The biggest stepping stone for Banks this offseason was finding a consistent and mature approach on the field, something the Gators’ staff believes is improving.
“He’s had a good offseason. Just continuing to mature, continuing to be consistent, his work ethic, his practice habits, his mental toughness, because he’s certainly very talented,” Napier said on Banks. At this level, everybody’s got talent, everybody’s got work ethic, it’s more about the intangibles, right? How we can get better at getting better, and then the intangible parts of the team, and that’s the focus with him.”
Banks had to make the transition from the ACC to the SEC after playing at Louisville. With a year of SEC experience under his belt, Banks is ready to prove why he was a top ranked portal prospect in 2023.
“Very terrifying, honestly,” Banks said on playing in the SEC. “First game against Utah, I remember I ran out — I still think about this to this day — I ran out onto the field and got really bad goosebumps like I don’t know if I can do this, but I was like, ‘You know what, you’re Caleb Banks, you can do whatever you want to do. You can do anything.’ I feel like I went out there and had a good game. I went through the rest of the season, first home game was against Tennessee, I believe, and it was pretty hard. It was really hard, but I got through it. It’s going to be a better year this year.”
Despite some early struggles last season, Banks was the 5th highest-graded defensive player for the Gators posting a grade of 75.8, according to PFF. Banks made it clear that this season will be even better after a strong finish to last season.
“I think it’s going to help a lot,” Banks said on if his experience in 2023 will help him this season. “Just me knowing what to do and what not to do, how you attack certain things and I feel like I matured a lot so that’s going to play a big role in it honestly.”
Coach Gerald Chatman has played a big role in the development of Caleb Banks since his arrival. The Gators’ defensive line coach expects a lot out of his players, which only pushes them to become the best version of themselves on the gridiron.
“It’s a mindset. You have to have the right mindset. That and coach Chatman, he just gets on me every day all the time, so it’s helped me be like, ‘OK, you got to step up, you got to play a bigger role and do what you go to do. That helps me a lot,” Banks said. “He told me, actually, ‘I’m on you a lot because I know you can be a great player.’ I don’t take it as personal or anything like that. I know he’s not trying to do anything but make me the best player I can be.”
With the Gators losing defensive lineman Jamari Lyons for the rest of the season due to a broken ankle, the Gators will now return just four interior linemen that played last season (including Kelby Collins). For a defense that ranked 79th in rushing defense and 92nd in sacks, it’s crucial that Caleb Banks and the remaining defensive line step up and become leaders in 2024.
The 6-5.75, 325-pound defensive lineman has gained five pounds of lean muscle over the offseason. With better coaching and a better mindset, Banks is a player who could have a breakout season in his redshirt junior year.